Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-03-15
TIE KHEDIVE OF EGYPT
An Oriental Potentate Who Has
Been a Conspicuous Fail
ure as a Diplomatic.
a Queer Compound of Knave and Fool
His Sympathy with the Arab
Movement.
HIS treatment of Gordon.


the most undigniiied is His Highness
Tewfik Pachs, khedive of Egypt, writes
an Alexander correspondent of The
.New York Tribune. Unlike his father.
there is nothing regal or imposing
about him. and when | used to see him
sitting on the divan nearest TO the win
dow ut the palace of Abdeen, his short
legs unable to reach the ground and
his fat little body swaying backward
and forward in huge delight at the per-
petration of one of his exceedingly
feeble jokes, it required all the feelings
of etiquette engcndered by diplomatic
training to prevent my poking him in
the ribs and slapping him on the back.
The son OF common fcllan slave oc-
cupying mental position in the khe-
drival household, who had momentarl-
ly captivated and subsequently dis
gustcd old Ismail Pasha, Tewlix has lit
lie resemblance of his half-brothcrs,
cons of legitimate wives, who all of
.Iicm give one the impression of being
gentlemen to the very tips OF their fin
gers. Moreover, while the latter was
educated at great expense in London,
Paris, and Berlin, Tewfk, owing to his
fathers antipathy, grew up in OBSCURE
ty without ever going abroad, and it is
10 this fact that many of the defects of
his character may be traced. A big
oted Mohammedan, his religious views
untempered by any travel in Europe,
he fortunately lacks the personal cour-
age to become Il fanatic, and when it is
borne in mind that according to the
Koran no believer is bound to keep
faith with a Christian, it will readily be
understood what difficult man he is to
deal with.
The first time met him was in the
spring of 1879 at dinner-party given
by his father, the Khedive Isinal.
had arrived rather early, and was
standing in the reception hail, at the
top of the stairs. talking with 1smail,
when the grand master of the ceremo-
es announced lie Prince Herltier.
Immediately afterward an insigniii-
cant-looking man, with kind of hunt
ed look about his eyes. shuf1led up to
his father. humbly kissed the hem of
his coat, and then, with his hand cross
ed on his breast, retired to distant
corner of the room, followed by the
contemptuous glance OF the old khed-
i've, who, without returning single
word of greeting to his son. went on
talking with me. Nobody at that time
could foresec that Ismairs deposition
was so near, and consequently | was
one of the very few who considered it
worth their VIII lie to show any courtesy
to the young prince. During the fol-
lowing weeks l saw good deal of him
both officially and socially, and | used
to be considerably amused to remark
how at balls and receptions he would
wander through the rooms talking with
the Europeans in the most contemptu-
Gus way about the natives, and with
the latter in an equally disagreeabe
manner about the former, utterly obliv-
ious of the fact that natives and Eu-
ropeans subsequently compared notes
on the subject, Gifted with the innate
oriental taste for intrigue, most of lew
iik's attempts at diplomacy have been
marked by similar chldshness. One
can not, however, blame him for the
timid, hunted look about his eyes. for his
life, especially during the last few
months proceed NC his fathers deposi-
ton, was in great danger. have often
wondered why Khedive lsmail did not
give vent to his hatred by putting him
out of the way as he did his powerful
finance minister Sadyk Pasha, two
years previously. The latter, after sup
ping W til his sovereign one night, dis
appeared mysteriously, and was seen
no more in this world. leaving abso-
lutely no trace except u semicircular
scar on the left hand of Il hand
some young chamberlain, who is
reported to have had it bitten
through whilst in the act of strangling
the minister 1t may be of interest to
add that the whole of the vanished
minister S vast wealth was coniiscated
by his sovereign. and that the hand
some chamberlain holds the rank of
minister of finance in the present
Egyptian cabinet. When | next saw
Tewrik it was in the autumn of 1888.
ii S father was in exile, his brothers
banished, and the battle of Tel-el- Kebir
had been fought. With reference to
the latter, my personal acquaintance
with Arab and much discussion on the
subject with both natives and Europe
ans convince me that the Arab move
ment was distinctly promoted and con-
niyed Mt in its earlier stages by Tewtik,
and that he only withdrew therefrom
when he saw the hopelessness of the
cause. The true object of Arabi's in
surrecton appears to have been ent rely
lost sight of. 1t was distinct move
ment of Mohammedans against Christ
ians, whom Arab prom sed to drive
out of the country. 1t must be borne
in mind that. as usury is forbidden by
the Koran, all the money-lcnders and
blood-suckcrs in Egg pit are either
Christians or Jews, and that, owing to
their inability to pay the heavy taxes,
the starving peasantry have been
obliged to mortgage all their land.
Hence war against the Christians,
which by driving them out of the
country would thereby liquidate AL
debts and mortgages, was exceedingly
popular with the natives and thorough,
ly in accord with the innermost feel
ings of the bigoted khedive. His sym.
pathy with Arab is proved by the fact
that all of his closer contidants and adj
herents, and all the relatives of his
wife, openly joined in the movement
up to the arrival af the British troops
in Egypt. Arab. mere fellah, wa,
but the tiSurchead, and, taking into
4 II